BEATLES "WHITE ALBUM" UK APPLE 1ST PRESS STEREO No 56

	£		2,250
	$		2,981

                                                              BEATLES "WHITE ALBUM"

                                                                                                             0000056

ORIGINAL 1968 UK STEREO 1ST PRESSING ULTRA RARE LOW NUMBER WITH "ROCKY RACOON" LABEL ERROR.

WE ARE DELIGHTED TO OFFER FOR SALE ONE OF THE LOWEST NUMBERED UK 1ST PRESSINGS OF THIS ALBUM THAT HAS BEEN AVAILABLE TO BUY FOR SOME TIME.

OFFERED IN OVERALL SUPERB CONDITION THIS FABULOUS RARITY IS 100% COMPLETE INCLUDING THE ORIGINAL WHITE PHOTOGRAPH SPACER AND HAS THE ADDED BENEFIT OF BEING A VERY EARLY AND EQUALLY AS RARE 1ST ISSUE LABEL ERROR.   

 RELEASED NOVEMBER 22ND 1968 "THE BEATLES" WAS THE BEATLES FIRST DOUBLE ALBUM RELEASE AND THEIR FIRST ALBUM RELEASE ON THE APPLE LABEL. ONE WEEK AFTER ITS RELEASE IN THE U.K IT HIT NUMBER 1 WERE IT STAYED FOR NINE WEEKS IT WAS ALSO THE FIRST EVER DOUBLE ALBUM TO GET TO NUMBER 1 IN THE U.K.

THE ALBUM WAS ORIGINALLY GOING TO BE CALLED "A DOLLS HOUSE" WITH ARTWORK TO INCLUDE A TRANSPARENT COVER AS WELL AS CLEAR VINYL DISCS. ALSO THERE WAS TO BE A PROMOTIONAL ADVERT ON T.V BUT EVENTUALLY THIS WAS ALL SCRAPPED DUE TO THE OVERALL COST.

THE IDEA OF THE TOTALLY WHITE SLEEVE WAS SUGGESTED TO THE BEATLES BY AN ARTIST CALLED RICHARD HAMILTON, HE SUGGESTED THAT RATHER THAN ADDING TO THE NUMBER OF GARISH SLEEVES ALREADY IN EXISTANCE AT THAT TIME THAT THEY SHOULD MAKE THE COVER LOOK DISTINCTIVE BY PUTTING NOTHING ON IT AT ALL EXCEPT THE TITLE "THE BEATLES" AND TO GIVE EACH ISSUE ITS OWN NUMBER. ALSO THE SLEEVE WAS GIVEN ITS OPENINGS AT THE TOP INSTEAD OF THE SIDE, AGAIN ANOTHER FIRST FOR ITS TIME.

ALL VERY FIRST ISSUES OF THE WHITE ALBUM WHERE TOP OPENING, GARROD AND LOFTHOUSE, WIDE SPINE GATEFOLD SLEEVES WITH  BLACK INNERS, POSTER AND FOUR COLOUR PRINTS. VINYL HAD DARK GREEN LABELS, WITH A SMALL CIRCLED "P" NEXT TO THE DATE (SEE PICTURES) AND SOLD IN THE U.K TEXT, SOME CARRIED "AN EMI RECORDING" TEXT AND SOME DIDNT. ALSO ALL HARRISON AND STARR COMPOSITIONS WHERE CREDITED TO APPLE, THIS LATER CHANGED TO "HARRISONGS" AND "STARTLING MUSIC"....ALSO A LIMITED NUMBER OF VERY 1ST ISSUES CARRIED A LABEL ERROR... THE TRACK LISTING TO SIDE 2  INCORRECTLY FEATURES "ROCKY RACCOON" AS "ROCKY RACOON" (JUST ONE "C").... THIS ALBUM CARRIES ALL THESE FEATURES ALONG WITH THE ADDED INCLUSION OF CARRYING AN EXCEPTIONALLY LOW NUMBER....56.

IT IS OFTEN BELIEVED AND INCORRECTLY STATED THAT THE VERY 1ST ISSUES OF THIS ALBUM AND CERTAINLY THE ONES IN THE LOWEST NUMBERED SLEEVES WHERE THE MONO VERSIONS AND THAT THESE 1ST ISSUES DO NOT FEATURE "AN EMI RECORDING" TO THE LABELS, THIS IS UNTRUE, THIS VERY EARLY COPY IS A STEREO VERSION WHICH ALSO CARRIES AN "EMI RECORDING" TO THE LABELS, THEREBY BOTH THOSE MYTHS CAN BE DISPELLED.  

IT IS COMMONLY KNOWN THAT THE BEATLES THEMSELVES OWN COPIES 1-4, HOWEVER IT IS ALSO BELIEVED THAT EACH BEATLE POSSIBLY HAD UP TO 10 COPIES EACH WHICH THEY DISTRIBUTED AMONGST FAMILY AND FRIENDS, FOR EXAMPLE JOHN LENNON GAVE PETE SHOTTON NUMBER 8. THEN ASSUMING GEORGE MARTIN, TONY BRAMWELL, NEIL ASPINALL ,MAL EVANS AND OTHER EMI/APPLE/BEATLES INNER CIRCLE ALSO HAD MULTIPLE COPIES, IT WOULDNT TAKE AN EXPERT TO CONCLUDE THAT WITHOUT DOUBT CERTAINLY THE FIRST 100 COPIES OF THIS ALBUM NEVER REACHED THE MUSIC STORES.      

AS ONE OF THE MOST COLLECTABLE OF ALL THE BEATLES ALBUMS, THE "WHITE ALBUM" WILL ALWAYS ATTRACT INTEREST FROM ALL COLLECTORS. MOST COLLECTORS ENDEAVOUR TO AQUIRE THE LOWEST NUMBERED COPY THAT THEY CAN OBTAIN AND THE LOWER THE NUMBERED SLEEVE THE MORE SOUGHT-AFTER THE ALBUM WILL BE. 

WHILST APPEALING TO ANY SERIOUS COLLECTOR ALBUMS SUCH AS THIS ALSO ATTRACT THE INTEREST OF INVESTORS AND THIS ALBUM CERTAINLY ENTERS THAT CATEGORY. 

APPLE PCS 7067

YEX709/10/11/12-1-1-1-1

STAMPERS  O2  RL 3   LH 5  HM 1

NO TAX CODE

AN "EMI RECORDING" TEXT IS PRESENT TO ALL  LABELS

DISC 1

THE VERY DARK GREEN APPLE LABLES TO BOTH SIDES ARE IN STUNNING CONDITION WITH NO UNWANTED MARKS OR WRITING. CLOSE INSPECTION UNDER A BRIGHT LIGHT REVEALS JUST VERY LIGHT BUT MINIMAL SPINDLE MARKS PRESENT TO ALL SIDES BUT NO SPINDLE WEAR. LABELS ARE SPOTLESSY CLEAN AND RETAIN THEIR ORIGINAL LUSTRE.BOTH SIDES ARE EXTREMLEY BRIGHT WITH NO FLAWS WHATSOEVER!.... LABELS DO  CARRY "AN EMI RECORDING" TEXT AND SIDE TWO FEATURES THE "RACOON" LABEL ERROR.

THE GLOSSY VINYL IS TRULY SUPERB...  CLOSE INSPECTION UNDER A STRONG LIGHT REVEALS JUST VERYLIGHT AND WISPY SURFACE MARKS AND SOME NEEDLE MARKS BUT NOTHING SERIOUS OR SEVERE . THE BRIGHT VINYL LIES PERFECTLY FLAT WITH NO WARPING AND NO NEEDLE LIFT WHEN PLAYED. THE VINYL HAS SUFFERED NO DULLING TO ITS ORIGINAL SHINY SURFACE AND IS COMPLETELY UNBLEMISHED.

AUDIO IS NEAR PERFECT... ONE CAREFUL PLAY BY MYSELF REVEALS A PERFECT AND UNINTERRUPTED PERFORMANCE THROUGHOUT EXCEPT FOR SOME VERY MILD BUT NON OFFENSIVE CRACKLE TO THE QUIETER TRACKS AND THE ODD TRACK GROOVE BUT CERTAINLY NOTHING THAT DETRACTS FROM THE LISTENING ENJOYMENT. THE STEREO AUDIO IS STRONG AND CLEAR. THE VINYL OF COURSE PLAYS THROUGH WITH NO STICKS, POPS OR JUMPS WHATSOEVER..... A GENUINE ENJOYABLE LISTENING EXPERIENCE.

DISC 2

THE APPLE LABELS TO BOTH SIDES ARE AGAIN AS DISC ONE.

THE GLOSSY VINYL IS AS STUNNING AS DISC ONE.

AUDIO IS AGAIN AS DISC ONE

COMPLETE WITH ORIGINAL BLACK INNERS. THE INNERS ARE IN SUPERB CONDITION....STILL CRISP AND STILL THEIR ORIGINAL DEEP BLACK COLOUR THE INNERS DISPLAY JUST THE INEVITABLE CREASES FROM THE VINYL SITTING IN THE SLEEVES AND SOME VERY VERY LIGHT "FEATHERING" TO OPENING EDGES, ONE HAS HAD A SYMPATHETIC REPAIR TO THE DIE-CUT HOLE. THE INNERS ARE INTACT AND VERY CLEAN. 

THE ORIGINAL FACTORY FOLDED POSTER IS SUPERB.THIS IS THE FIRST ISSUE POSTER WHICH FEATURES THE "LIPSTICK" KISS (LATER ISSUES DONT HAVE THIS). THIS HAS NEVER BEEN DISPLAYED AND DISPLAYS JUST VERY LIGHT SIGNS OF HANDLING AND SOME MILD AGE SPOTS TO THE REAR. 

THE ORIGINAL FOUR PHOTOS ARE PRESENT AND ARE SUPERB THEY SHOW VERY LITTLE AGEING AND HANDLING MARKS AND HAVE CERTAINLY NEVER BEEN DISPLAYED.

THE WHITE PHOTO SPACER IS NEAR MINT WITH VIRTUALLY NO SIGNS OF AGE OR HANDLING.

THE GATEFOLD LAMINATED "GARROD AND LOFTHOUSE" EXTREMELY LOW NUMBERED, WIDE SPINE, STEREO SLEEVE IS A SUPERB EXAMPLE. THE FRONT DISPLAYS SOME VERY LIGHT HANDLING MARKS AND CREASES AND THE ODD TINY EDGE CREASE BUT NOTHING SEVERE.THE FRONT IS VERY CLEAN AND HAS RETAINED ITS DEEP GLOSS. THE REAR IS VERY MUCH AS PER THE FRONT WITH THE STEREO LOGO STILL HIGHLY VISIBLE. THE INNER IS STILL CLEAN AND BRIGHT AND BOTH INNER SEAMS ARE FLAT,THERE IS HOWEVER THE REMAINS OF A NAME VERY LIGHTLY WRITTEN TO TOP LEFT CORNER BUT IN FAIRNESS THIS DOES NOT DETRACT FROM THE SLEEVES OVERALL CONDITION AND IAM SURE THAT THIS TRUE GEM CAN BE EXCUSED THIS SLIGHT IMPERFECTION.  THE WIDE SPINE IS RIGID AND UNCRUSED WITH JUST A SMALL AMOUNT OF WEAR TO EITHER END BUT ALL WORDING IS INTACT AND READABLE.THE SLEEVE IS INTACT AND IS OTHERWISE FREE FROM ANY OTHER WRITING AND THE BEATLES LOGO AND THE INCREDIBLY LOW NUMBER... "56" ARE BOTH STILL HIGHLY VISIBLE AND UNSPOILT...... 

A PERFECT OPPORTUNITY TO AQUIRE AN INCREDIBLY LOW NUMBERED UK 1ST PRESSING STEREO EXAMPLE OF THIS HIGHLY-SOUGHT-AFTER CLASSIC BEATLES ALBUM WHICH HAS THE ADDED BENEFIT OF BEING A VERY EARLY AND RARE "RACOON" LABEL ERROR VERSION.

WHITE ALBUMS NUMBERED BELOW 100 VERY VERY RARELY ENTER THE OPEN MARKET FOR SALE AND IN THESE UNCERTAIN ECONOMIC TIMES THIS HAS TO BE CONSIDERED A GENUINE INVESTMENT PIECE THAT WILL ONLY RISE IN VALUE OVER THE YEARS.     

TO CLARIFY A FEW QUESTIONS....

THE SPINE DOES HAVE BOTH PCS/PMC CAT NO'S PRESENT AND ARE FULLY READABLE.

THE REAR OF THE SLEEVE DOES HAVE THE STEREO LOGO ....THIS CAN BEE SEEN IN TWO PHOTOS IN THE LISTING. THE LOGO IS CLEAR, UNSPOILT AND FULLY READABLE.

WE WILL NOT CONDISER A "BUY IT NOW" ON THIS ITEM, DESPITE SEVERAL OFFERS. WE WOULD PREFER TO  GIVE ALL INTERESTED A BIDDERS A FAIR CHANCE TO AQUIRE THIS ONE.

THANK YOU & GOOD LUCK IF YOU DECIDE TO BID!!!!